Religious institute In the Catholic Church, a religious institute is "a society in which members, according to proper law, pronounce public religious vows, vows, either perpetual or temporary which are to be renewed, however, when the period of time has elapsed, a ...

s generally follow a rule of life, i.e., one of the great religious rules as guidance to their life and growth in their religious journey. These are: the Rule of St. Basil, the Rule of Saint Benedict, the Rule of Saint Augustine, and the Rule of Saint Francis. Additionally many institutes follow the Rule of Saint Albert of the Carmelites or the one followed by the Order of Preachers. The Rule of St. Basil, credited to the 4th century bishop Basil of Caesarea and one of the earliest rules for Christian

monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

life, is followed primarily by monastic communities of the

Eastern Christian Eastern Christianity comprises Christianity, Christian traditions and Christian denomination, church families that originally developed during Classical antiquity, classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region or locations fu ...

tradition. Most Western monastics (Benedictines, Cistercians, Trappists, Carthusians etc.) observe the Rule of Saint Benedict, a collection of precepts for what is called contemplative religious life written by

Benedict of Nursia Benedict of Nursia (; ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was a Great Church, Christian monk. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old ...

. The Rule of

Saint Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman province), Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced th ...

stresses self-denial, moderation, and care for those in need.

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

follow what is called not a rule, but the constitutions composed by their founder,

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola ( ; ; ; ; born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Basque Spaniard Catholic priest and theologian, who, with six companions, founded the religious order of the S ...

, which laid aside traditional practices such as chanting the

Liturgy of the hours The Liturgy of the Hours (), Divine Office (), or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the Latin Church. The Liturgy of the Hours forms the official ...

in favour of greater adaptability and mobility under a more authoritarian regime. Other institutes combine a rule with constitutions that give more precise indications for the life of the members. Thus the Capuchin constitutions of 1536 are added to the Rule of Saint Francis.Texts a
Rule and Constitutions of the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, Revised and approved by the General Chapter, May 30–June 3, 2005
/ref> In addition to the more fundamental provisions of the rule or constitutions, religious institutes have statutes that are more easily subject to change.

References

{{Reflist Catholic canon law of religious Monastic rules

See also

References